The present invention generally relates to electrical connectors that exhibit illumination when in use. More particularly, the invention relates to self-illuminating electrical connectors that have internally originating illumination that provides an illumination condition visible through connector housing walls throughout a majority of or substantially the entirety of the electrical connector.
The current state of the art for illuminated electrical connectors includes cube-shaped connectors, including connectors for valves for controlling pneumatic, hydraulic and general industrial control systems. Other applications for connectors having self-contained illumination are contemplated for use in those instances where self-illumination will provide easy visualization that assists in the connection tasks and indicates when disconnection, disruption or failure has occurred. Other benefits of self-illuminating connectors include providing enhanced illumination around the connector during an un-mating operation in order to provide enhanced safety during such disconnection due to the ability of the technician to better see the connector and components such as plugs, pins, terminals, boards and the like that mate with complementary locations or components of the connector. A self-illuminating connector also provides enhanced visibility for diagnostic purposes by enhancing the ability to see that the connector is operating correctly by being illuminated, thereby indicating proper connection to a source that supplies power or energy to and through the connector. When such a connector is not illuminated, the absence of a proper connection is thereby readily ascertained by simple observation.
Self-illuminating connectors that are within the state of the art include those having an opaque housing with a portion that has transparent characteristics to allow passage of light from inside the connector to a location outside of the connector that is of limited area. One such connector has a narrow peripheral band of an otherwise opaque connector housing, which band illuminates upon mating of the connector with a power source.
Another connector includes standard or SMD components within the connector. All or most of these electronic components are within an internal housing that is made of opaque material. This opaque housing is mounted within an outer housing made of transparent or translucent material, and a light source is positioned within the outer housing but outside of the opaque inner housing, with the result that a portion of the connector is illuminated, namely the portion of the outer housing that falls within the path of illumination of the light source and that is not blocked by the opaque inner housing. One such connector is available from Hirschmann, included in the state of the art of valve connectors for pneumatic applications, for example. Other such state-of-the-art valve connectors are those of Molex. Often such state-of-the-art connectors are of a terminal block style. These can take the form of field-attachable DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) valve connectors that meet the EN 175301-803 standards for selected applications, including those for pneumatic, hydraulic and general industrial control.
An example of a control valve is found in Rüdle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,800 (Festo AG & Co.). Other DIN connectors are found in Fulponi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,330 and Fang U.S. Pat. No. 6,764,338. Other examples of connectors in the state of the art include those that have illumination capabilities. These include Eakins U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,765, Madsen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,037 and Chang, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,051. Each of the patents noted herein is incorporated by reference hereinto.